What Trump's assault on USAid means for the world
Sahat is a Rohingya activist and photographer based in Kutupalong refugee camp, Bangladesh. Hearing Donald Trump's decision to cut USAid came as a shock to Sahat. US foreign assistance is a lifeline for the many thousands of people in the camp, providing access to food, education and healthcare.
The Guardian columnist and writer of the Long Wave newsletter, Nesrine Malik, explains to Lucy just how vast and varied USAid's work has been over the decades – from providing disaster relief and the supply of medicines to democracy-building and the preservation of natural habitats.
The unexpected decision to immediately stop USAid's operations has led to chaos across the world. Nesrine describes how Africa is the continent most exposed, with soup kitchens closed and HIV medication no longer available.
The Long Wave: Why Trump's USAid freeze endangers millions
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Reuters
14 hours ago
- Reuters
US aid cuts to Ukraine raise risk of waste and fraud, say watchdogs
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Reuters
a day ago
- Reuters
USAID failed to monitor uses of Musk's Starlink terminals sent to Ukraine, says watchdog
WASHINGTON, Aug 14 (Reuters) - The U.S. Agency for International Development did not monitor the uses of 5,175 Starlink terminals sent to Ukraine, with nearly half of the operational units ending up in areas fully or partly held by Moscow, according to a report by the agency's internal watchdog. USAID's inspector general found that the agency failed to keep track of the terminals of Elon Musk's satellite internet service because it had accepted a higher risk of misuse due to "the complex wartime environment" and Ukraine's urgent need for them. "As a result, USAID did not know where the terminals were or how they were used," said the report dated August 11 that was reviewed by Reuters. In response, USAID said it was impractical to track the terminals once they were handed to Ukraine because of the dangerous wartime conditions and the "unprecedented emergency" created by Russian strikes on communications systems. "The primary objective was to restore life-saving connectivity for critical public services, such as healthcare, municipal emergency shelters, and local governance," said a USAID letter included in the report. The findings were first reported by Bloomberg. The report did not examine Ukraine's use of the terminals for military operations, including drone flights, artillery targeting and communications. After Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, USAID partnered with Musk's SpaceX company to provide 5,175 Starlink terminals to Ukraine to sustain critical civilian services and internet connectivity, the report said. USAID delivered to Kyiv 1,508 terminals that it purchased and 3,667 units donated by SpaceX, said the report. It found that USAID did not "fully mitigate" the risk of the terminals being misused, and that more than half of the "active" units were "present in territories that Russia fully or partially occupied." The report did not say how those terminals ended up in those areas, who had them or the purposes for which they were used. Kyiv last year charged that Russian occupation troops had been using thousands of Starlink terminals acquired from private Russian firms, allegations denied by the Kremlin and by Musk.
The National
2 days ago
- The National
Palestinian journalists 'reporting on own extermination' urge action
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Youssef Hammash, a co-producer on the Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone documentary, which was removed from BBC iPlayer after a row surrounding the child narrator – whose father had worked as Hamas's deputy minister of agriculture – said it is currently "the deadliest time for Palestinian journalists in history". 'There is a moral imperative that Gaza's journalists receive international protection, access, support, and global outrage for their systematic targeting that translates into definitive action," he said. READ MORE: Arms firms lobbied for Palestine Action 'terrorists' label, files reveal "This is the deadliest time for Palestinian journalists in history, yet day in and day out they continue, despite the great risk to their safety and the safety of their families. 'No journalist should have to anticipate their own demise as an inevitability because their entire field is being targeted. "We owe Palestinian journalists material assurances so they can continue to carry out their invaluable work with dignity'. The conference coincides with the final evening of a three-day mourning vigil held in honour of the six journalists who were targeted and killed in an Israeli strike on Sunday evening, including prominent Al Jazeera reporter Anas Al-Sharif, who had previously been threatened by Israel. Anas Al-Sharif (Image: Dawoud Abo Alkas/Anadolu via Getty Images) The other journalists killed were Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal, as well as freelance journalists Moamen Aliwa and Mohammad al-Khaldi. Israel's military confirmed killing al-Sharif and alleged he was with Hamas – an accusation Al Jazeera has denied. 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The report from The Watson School of International and Public Affairs found the death toll of journalists is higher than the combined toll of casualties in the US Civil War, World War One, World War Two, the Korean War, the Vietnam War – including the conflicts in Cambodia and Laos – the Yugoslav Wars, the war in Afghanistan and the ongoing war in Ukraine. The Committee to Protect Journalists estimates that since the start of the genocide on October 7, 2023, at least 192 journalists have been killed. At least 184 of those journalists were Palestinians killed by Israel.
